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World Jewish News
Russia Liked Durban II Conference
29.04.2009
A message to the media was published recently on the website of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It comments on the conclusion of the Durban II Conference on combating racism, which ended in Geneva.
Here is the text of the message: "On April 24 in Geneva, the Conference on reviewing the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
finished its work. The Conference was attended by all Member States of the United Nations, with the exception of Australia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the United States, and the Czech Republic.
The agenda of the Conference reflected the complexity, multifaceted nature, sharpness, and at the same time, importance and topicality of combating anti-racism and its contemporary forms, especially under the conditions of
financial, economic and food crises. The priorities and positions of the main political groups and blocs of countries became evident. Despite the contentious and tense beginning, the Conference has been very fruitful and constructive. The fears of skeptics that this forum would acquire an anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic nature did not come true.
The main thesis, which was mentioned in the speeches of most participants of the Conference is the following: racism in its modern forms is a complex and global in its essence problem, and its solution requires collective actions of the world community, taking into account the traditional values of different civilizations and cultures, attributing to combating these manifestations not only a political, but also a moral dimension.
On April 21, during the high-level segment of the Conference, the absolute majority of the states adopted the final document, prepared by a working group chaired by Russia, which is believed to be a good platform for action on combating racism on the international arena, and a certain set of guidelines for national plans and action programs development in this field."
It is important that that the President of Israel Shimon Peres has issued a special message, which condemns the holding of a conference "on combating racism" under the UN aegis.
"Shame and reproach, that on the day of Holocaust victims remembrance, a hypocritical racist conference opens in Geneva, and that its honorary guest is the President of Iran," said Peres. "Are Ahmadinejad and the Durban II
Conference the torch for the whole world? In Iran, people are publicly hanged on the intersections, it is the center of international terror, the mastermind of bloodshed!"
The President particularly thanked the United States and eight other democratic States, which announced they would not participate in the anti-Israel conference. It should also be noted that the representatives of the EU countries which did not boycott the conference left the courtroom during Ahmadinejad's speech.
The tone of the reports about this scandalous conference by Russian media conference is remarkable: "unfriendly towards Israel statements of Iranian President" (this refers to the ststement that "Zionist entity" must be wiped off the map of the world), "U.S. allies joined the boycott", etc.
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